Right. So I've finished my hiatus and this is the result of my time off. I'm sorry. I promised this to a friend of mine. And although i'm till unable to post in good time i have this done and I'm going to post it.
In the courtyard of a castle in England, a young hedgehog rushed about the gardens. She was about 8 years old, yellow, and wearing a green dress. She was born to the sheriff of the town of Nottingham, therefore had a place in the castle. She laughed and jumped as her father attempted to catch her in a game of 'tag'. Eventually she was subdued. She grinned as he lifted her to the sky.
"Starlight....its time to go." Apparently the lord of a place called Locksley was having a party and they were invited. He put her down and they rushed back to the house to get ready. she changed her clothes into exact copies that were clean. They then walked out of the castle to a private coach and began their journey.
As she looked out the window she saw the people of the kingdom working their jobs. They seemed happy as they went about their business even though they weren't as privileged. She gave a sigh of content. She liked that the people were happy. She would have felt miserable if she was living in luxury and they were starving. Soon they got to Locksley manor and she stepped out. She met the hosts and a few other aristocrats and was not impressed. She ended up wandering the ranch outside. There were farm animals, a stable for horses, a small shack for armor and things, a fire pit, a food preservation hole, and a fire pit. After a while of day dreaming by the horses she saw out of the corner of her eyes something whizzing by at a great speed. She turned to see a arrow strike a target and looked at where it came from. she saw a white and blue hedgehog standing proudly and loading another arrow into his bow. he lifted to fire but froze when he saw her. when their eyes met she froze as well, and the two just stood there starring at each other.
"Who are you?" Starlight asked.
"Echo of Locksley." He said flatly. "Are you here for my Dad's party?"
"Yeah, but it's boring in there.." Echo shrugged.
"I thought so too." He fired another arrow. She rose a brow.
"Well it's better than watching old men drink." She sat down on a bench and watched the white and blue hedgehog practise. After some time she fell asleep to be woken up sometime later by the same hedgehog she had met. He had obviously been practising for a while as his whole face was red and his quills were matted. She began to laugh.
"Oh, you think that is funny?" She continued to laugh.
"I'll Show you funny!" He tackled her to the ground. They both fell over and he began to tickle her. She tickled back and they both became a big ball of vibrating fur. Eventually they both broke away but were still intertwined. They both layed on the ground embracing for a moment. Then, realising how close they were, they broke away shyly. Echo looked behind him and saw her looking away blushing. He scooted over to her slowly.
"Wanna be friends?" Her countanence brightened up a bit.
"Sure!" She said much happier than before, for she had so few friends her age. Echo hopped up on his feet. He extended a hand motioning for her to do the same. She rose timidly and Echo grasped her hands. He stepped forwards and the blush that she was almost rid of worsened considerably. He moved still closer and she felt her heart rate go up about a thousand times a minute. His face was literally within an inch of hers. She could feel his warm breath on her cheeks which flashed a light red. He opened his mouth. She closed her eyes. And then it happened. The thing she knew she never would forget for the rest of her life....
"Tag." He said. "You're it." She swung at him. It barely missed as he was already running. She darted after him.
Stupid boys...She thought. Why can't they ever be romantic just once!?
"Ugh!" She groaned audibly while she chased him. He jumped onto a log and changed direction. She moved to compensate. They both dashed into the forest. Echo was laughing and whooping a few feet ahead of her hand. Starlight was threatening him with bodily harm as she attempted to grab the stupid boy. This went on for a quarter of an hour. Starlight was beginning to tire. Echo's laughing was becoming softer. At one point Echo darted up an incline between two protruding rocks. He clasped his hands together and grinned. He called out.
"Starlight!" He turned around only to realise that unlike him she remembered that they were playing tag and she tackled him. They both fell down the other side of the incline and tumbled down the side of the hill in each other's arms. At the bottom they looked about themselves. they realised that long ago some force had pushed to rocks almost together or split them apart so that an opening 3 ft wide was available to them. The old trees that made up the forest grew close together around the hill. On top of the hill was a depression, creating the effect of a bowl. The treetops formed a canopy. The result was an isolated area that was almost invisible to anyone outside. Echo's smile grew big and bright.
"Ah, yes, very good!" Starlight stood up. She knew what he was thinking and was thinking the same: they had a secret fort.
"What should we name it?" She asked.
"It defies label. But it should be 'Hollow' something. Or, something 'Hollow'." Starlight looked up at the canopy.
"Secret Hollow?" She suggested. It wasn't the best name in the world. But to two kids it was divine. And it was their own little secret. The name suited and they shook on it. Suddenly Star's smile vanished.
"Echo, anyone could find it." She pointed to the entrance. Echo looked at the canopy.
"Wait here." He said. He then rushed about, gathering sticks and logs and measures of vines. He then arranged them so that The sticks were tied together with the vines so they formed a makeshift door.
"There. Now no one can see it." Starlight looked at him and raised an eyebrow.
"Wow, you are clever." Echo blushed.
"Thanks."
To get this published tonight I will end it there. I'm sorry for my slow updating. I can't help it. My account is a secret. I hope you will all forgive me.